Tag Archives: refuse collection

More neighbourhoods in Blaby district are set to trial a new refuse and recycling scheme as the council looks to simplify waste collection, improve service, save money and reduce its carbon footprint.

Around 2,200 households in parts of Braunstone Town, Sharnford, Sapcote and Aston Flamville will take part in the four-week trial where refuse and recycling will both be collected every week, using only two wheeled bins and one vehicle.

As reported in the EYE in April, households in parts of Narborough and Leicester Forest East have already taken part in the trial back in May.

Under the Council’s current system refuse is collected each week and recycling once a fortnight. Households are given a bin for refuse and separate containers for paper and card, glass, and plastic and cans. Three different vehicles are also needed to make the collections.

The Council wants to reduce the number of containers, the sorting required by residents and the number of vehicles involved. The aim is to make it easier for people to recycle whilst reducing the cost and environmental impact of the service.

During the trial collections will be made using one vehicle with separate sections for refuse and recycling.

Glass – which currently costs the Council £200,000 a year to collect from households – will not be collected for recycling under the pilot scheme. Residents are asked to use their nearest recycling centre or put any glass in their refuse bin.

“We want to make recycling easier and more efficient for our residents while reducing our impact on the environment. We are therefore asking for households to take part in the trial and let us know any feedback.

“This is one option we are considering but we need to see how it works in practice and consider the comments we receive before any decisions are made.”

The trial will begin in Aston Flamville, Sapcote and Sharnford on Monday September 3 and in BraunstoneTown on Thursday September 6.

The Council will be writing to every household taking part in the scheme and will do so again following the trial to gather opinions and feedback on the pilot project.

Only those who have been contacted directly will be affected and refuse and recycling collections in the rest of Blaby district go ahead as normal throughout the trial period.

Irons, kettles and toasters are just some of the items people in Enderby and elsewhere in Blaby district will be able to recycle on their doorstep through the Council’s new electrical waste collection starting in January.

The service – being launched in partnership with mental health charity Mind – will allow households to recycle a wide range of electrical appliances with their fortnightly recycling collections.

Vacuum cleaners, laptops, printers, radios and lots more can be put in the Mind textile collection bags which will be picked up every two weeks from January. The items will be taken and tested and any that work will be sold through Mind’s shops raising vital funds for the charity. Any waste goods will be broken down and recycled.

“People in Blaby are already fantastic at recycling and we want to make it as easy as possible for them by continuing to expand the range of items they can recycle on their doorstep.”

Residents are asked not to put any electrical goods in their recycling boxes. Any larger items or appliances that might damage textiles can be left out to be collected with the Mind bag tied around them.

Large household appliances such as washing machines, cookers and fridges cannot be recycled through the scheme.

In April 2011 the Council expanded its plastic and can recycling scheme introducing a wide range of new items that could be recycled and more than 2,500 households ordered extra bins as a result.

Last year 47 tonnes of textiles were collected in partnership with Mind and increased demand has meant the Council is now able to offer a fortnightly service.

Ruth Boullin, regional manager for Mind in the East Midlands said:

“We have a successful history of working with the Council to offer services people value and need and that also benefit the environment and we want to continue that by developing new schemes like this.”

Like this:

97 per cent of people living in Blaby district are satisfied or very satisfied with their refuse collection service, according to a recent survey.

The independent poll, carried out on behalf of Blaby District Council and Blaby Together, also showed 96 per cent of people were satisfied or very satisfied with doorstep recycling and 93 per cent were happy with how their local parks and open spaces are maintained.

When asked about how well public services are performing, 89 per cent of respondents were satisfied.

Council leader Ernie White said: “These are excellent results and they show that by listening to our residents and putting them at the centre of everything we do, we can deliver services that people value and need.

“It is great to see growing satisfaction in a number of areas despite concerns about reduced resources in the public sector.

“The priorities set out in our new community plan have also been reflected in this survey which is encouraging.

“Our focus must now be to maintain customer satisfaction and continue to improve services by working with partners across the district and county.”

600 people from a range of age groups, ethnicities, and socio-economic backgrounds were contacted by telephone during May and June 2011 and asked questions about information provision, local decision making and satisfaction with public services like transport, parks and open spaces and leisure facilities.

97 per cent of residents surveyed felt the district was a place where people from different backgrounds get on well together and 90 per cent of those who gave an opinion felt that public services in the district provided good value for money.

Service areas with lower satisfaction levels were affordable housing (only 53 per cent of people asked thought there was enough provision), employment opportunities (49 per cent of people satisfied) and local transport (62 per cent satisfied).

Satisfaction with children’s facilities across the district was relatively high (78 per cent), however results show more facilities for young people and teenagers are needed with only 28 per cent of people satisfied with current provision.